The Catholic Church was aware long-term sex offenders were repeatedly abusing
children while working in Ireland's church and state-run institutions, a
damning report has revealed.

The Child Abuse Commission detailed a catalogue of disturbing and chronic sexual, physical and emotional abuse inflicted on thousands of disadvantaged, neglected and abandoned children by both religious and lay staff over the last 70 years.

The dangers to the children were not taken into account, the inquiry found in a report which caused outrage at the news that no abusers will be prosecuted as a result.

The report found: "The risk (to children), however, was seen by the congregations in terms of the potential scandal and bad publicity should the abuse be disclosed."

Judge Sean Ryan, who chaired the Commission, concluded that when confronted with evidence of sex abuse, religious authorities responded by transferring the sex offenders to another location, where in many instances they were free to abuse again.

"There was evidence that such men took up teaching positions sometimes within days of receiving dispensations because of serious allegations or admissions of sexual abuse," the report said.

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Institutions run by religious orders, including industrial and reform schools, institutions for the disabled, orphanages and ordinary day schools have been examined by the Commission over the past nine years.

While the names of alleged individual perpetrators have not been published - except for those already convicted by the court - the inquiry produced specific findings against 216 facilities.

The Sisters of Mercy and Christian Brothers, which ran the largest number of children's institutions, were among the long list of orders investigated.

Sexual abuse was endemic in boys' schools while in girls' schools, children were subjected to predatory abuse by male employees, visitors and while on outside placements.

Abuse was rarely reported to the State authorities but on the rare occasion the Department of Education was informed, it colluded with the religious orders in the culture of silence.

The Department generally dismissed or ignored sexual abuse complaints and never brought them to the attention of the Garda [police].

"At best, the abusers were moved but nothing was done about the harm done to the child. At worst, the child was blamed and seen as corrupted by the sexual activity, and was punished severely," the report stated.

Children were so badly neglected, survivors spoke of scavenging for food from waste bins and animal feed.

Unsupervised bullying in boys' schools often left smaller, weaker children without food.

Accommodation was cold, spartan and bleak while children were often left in soiled, wet work clothes after being forced to toil for long hours outdoors in farms, the report found.

Responding to the report, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, the new leader of Catholics in England and Wales, told ITV News: "It's very distressing and very disturbing and my heart goes out today first of all to those people who will find that their stories are now told in public... Secondly, I think of those in religious orders and some of the clergy in Dublin who have to face these facts from their past which instinctively and quite naturally they'd rather not look at.

"That takes courage, and also we shouldn't forget that this account today will also overshadow all of the good that they also did."

Asked whether those who perpetrated violence and abuse should be held to account, he said: "Yes they should, no matter how long ago it happened.

"In this country now we have a very steady and reliable system of co-operation with police and social services who actually now hold us in good regard.

"They know that we are reliable and trustworthy partners. Those that abused the trust that was placed in them should be brought to public account."

Asked whether legal and police process should take place, he said: "Yes, absolutely. If the offences are such that demand that."

Asked why abuse seemed more prevalent in the Catholic Church than other faiths, he said: "Every time there is a single incident of abuse in the Catholic Church it is a scandal.

"And I'm glad it's a scandal. I would be very worried if it wasn't a scandal... I hope these things don't happen again but I hope they're never a matter of indifference."